But Terry could see that Harry was in a very bad way. He knew they had to get him to hospital as fast as humanly possible. Everyone was now frantically trying to save his life. But Terry, with all his years of Police experience, didn’t give much for his chances.
Chapter 9
14th August – Herfion Mountains – Rhuaddan
Jake was confused and completely lost.
One minute he was locked in a violent, life or death struggle with Sawdon, using skills and abilities he didn’t know he possessed to fend off the mighty warrior as his accomplice attempted to join the fight. The next, he was dragged from the kitchen and pushed into the light so fast that he hadn’t had time to object. And now, he found himself standing on a windswept, narrow ledge, seemingly half way up what appeared to be a small mountain, in a land he didn’t know but presumed to be the mystical Rhuaddan.
He looked around anxiously and was horrified to learn that he was completely and utterly alone. He could see for miles from his high vantage point, but no other people were in sight. The scene before him was one that he might have expected to find in his native land of England. There were hills and mountains, fields and meadows, trees and some scattered buildings that he could just make out in the distance, though they were too far away for recognition. He thought it odd that the landscape seemed so similar. He wasn’t sure what he’d expected to find, but the striking resemblance to his homeland was the last thing he’d anticipated. He was reassured by it somehow and the only thing that was immediately noticeable to him was the lack of technology on view; there appeared to be no roads, no telegraph poles, pylons, large cities, or anything associated with a modern civilisation.
It only took a few seconds for Ben to follow him through the portal, but it seemed to be a lot longer to Jake. He was just beginning to piece together what had happened in his mind, recalling the details of the fight with Sawdon, Ben pulling him away, placing him off balance and hurtling back towards the living room. He remembered seeing his grandfather stepping into his place and into harm’s way, with his sword in his one good hand and dragging his wounded left arm limply by his side. He’d stopped when he was able and tried to rejoin the fight, but had been pushed forcefully before he could, into the light. And then it had all gone black.
“Aaaarrgh …….!!!!!”
The loud yell that Jake heard was undoubtedly from Ben. His best friend appeared suddenly out of a light that opened up nearby. He was hurtling towards him rapidly, his left arm was clutching the box to his body, he was off balance and heading straight for the edge of the ledge, and the rocks below!
Jake instinctively reached for Ben as he was going past. He grabbed his arm and held onto it tightly, bringing Ben to a rapid halt before he reached the edge of the cliff. But the sudden stop caused Ben’s grip on the box to loosen and it fell from his arms. It bounced on the rockface once and then disappeared over the ledge, out of sight!
Both boys froze. They were horrified at the sight and the thought of what it might mean. They remained silent as they tried to listen to the box hitting the rocks below. But it was a good second or two before they heard a loud ‘thud’, indicating to them both that it had been quite a drop. They raced to the edge of the ledge to look for it, lying down as they peered over the side. They were both initially relieved to see the box in tact, it was on a larger ledge thirty feet below them, but then they realized that they’d have to climb down to get it. And they still didn’t know if the fall had damaged it in any way.
“Oh sh…” Ben was about to swear, but he was interrupted by Jake.
“Excellent!” he said. “Great! Nice one, mate!”
“What??!! Err… What are you on about?” asked Ben incredulously. “It was you who grabbed my arm and threw me off balance! I wouldn’t have dropped it if you hadn’t...”
He stopped in mid sentence as he suddenly remembered what had happened back home. “And you might be a little more grateful! I saved your skin back there, if I